Tequila Lime Shrimp

Easy shrimp seasoned with fragrant spices and spiked with tequila, takes weeknight sauteed shrimp from ordinary to amazing in less than 10 minutes!

I'm not much of a tequila drinker, but cooking with tequila... well let's just say I don't object to boozy shrimp. The alcohol actually cooks out so you won't get intoxicated eating this, but the flavor is spot on. I also add some red pepper flakes to give the shrimp a little spice. 

You can serve this over salad, brown rice, cilantro lime cauliflower "rice" or make some guacamole, heat up some corn tortillas and turn them into shrimp tacos (SO GOOD)! Any brand of tequila will work, I went with George Clooney's Casamigos Tequila just because... (wink wink). Enjoy the shrimp!!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Blackened Fish Tacos with Cabbage Mango Slaw

Blackened cod fish seasoned with a spicy rub and cooked in a cast iron skillet. The mango-cabbage slaw is the perfect balance of sweet and sour which compliments the fish perfectly. I served these for dinner last night with some guacamole on the side (not pictured here) and my husband was a very happy man.

I cooked the whole thing outside on the grill which is a great way to keep the fish smell out of your house, but you can also do this indoors on the stove. The only thing that would have made this meal better would probably be a margarita on the side. Hope you enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Grilled Chicken Tacos with Lettuce Slaw, Avocado and Cotija

Grilled chicken tacos piled high with a lettuce-tomato slaw, avocado, and Cotija cheese all served on a charred tortilla. A quick weeknight dinner solution!

We love taco Tuesdays in my house, and I'm not talking about the taco's that come in a kit! Instead I make all kinds of tacos from scratch, from fish tacos, to slow cooker chicken and black bean tacos, turkey taco lettuce wraps and sometimes we even use picadillo in our tacos.

These grilled chicken tacos are a wonderful addition to our taco rotation, and perfect to make outside on the grill now that the weather is warming up. I set all the fixins out on the table and let everyone make their own. You can double or triple this if you want to feed a crowd. If you don't have an outdoor grill, no worries! A grill pan works just as good. If you prefer to skip the tortilla, just turn this into a great big salad!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Mushroom Ceviche

Mushrooms marinated overnight with lemon juice, cilantro, red onion and bell pepper. I couldn't decide if I wanted to call this poor man's ceviche or vegetarian ceviche, but what I did want to make clear is that the flavors in these marinated mushrooms are what you would expect to taste when enjoying ceviche, only without the seafood.

This makes a great appetizer, and the flavor gets better with time. My husband, who's not a mushroom fan loved this! You can make this up to a few days ahead, if desired, it would last a week if not longer.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Spiralized Mexican Sweet Potato and Chicken Casserole

If you're looking for new recipes to make using your spiralizer, this one's for you! This Mexican inspired casserole is made with spiralized sweet potatoes, shredded chicken, black beans and corn in a delicious guajillo pepper sauce topped with melted Pepper Jack cheese – SO good, and the portions are very generous!

I've been experimenting with my Paderno Spiralizer, last week I spiralized broccoli stems with turned out awesome in this Spiralized Beef and Broccoli dish. This week I decided to spiralize a sweet potato. Normally I simply roast them, but my friend and brainstormed thinking about what else to do with it and came up with this dish.

The sauce is AMAZING, a recipe she got from her Mexican friend made from dried guajillo peppers which are very mild in heat. If you want this spicy, you could add some chipotle en adobo to the sauce as well. If you cant find dried guajillo chili peppers, I suggest using 2 to 3 tbsp chipotle chilis in adobo sauce in it's place although it will be spicier.

The quickest way to make this is using leftover chicken. I usually have shredded chicken on hand that I make in the slow cooker, you can see that recipe here or boil it 10 minutes on the stove as mentioned in the recipe below.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Crab Guacamole

I'm so honored to be a guest blogger this month for Better Homes and Gardens. The task was simple, test out a few of their snack recipes adding my own spin to share on their blog, Delish Dish.

I chose this crab guacamole because I'm avocado obsessed! We make guacamole a lot in my house, it's one of the few ways I can get Madison to eat avocados. Pictured above, I served them with Beanitos Black Bean chips which I love, but any baked chip would be perfect!


Crab Guacamole
Servings: 6 • Size: 1/3 cup • Old Points: 2 • Weight Watcher Points+: 2
Calories: 96 • Fat: 6 g • Carb: 4.5 g • Fiber: 2 g • Protein: 6 g • Sugar: 0 g
Sodium: 144 mg • Cholest: 25 mg

Ingredients used to calculate this dip:

• 8 oz (from 2 small haas) diced avocados, coarsely mashed
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 2 tbsp fresh cilantro
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 6 oz canned lump crabmeat, drained

Please visit Delish Dish for the instructions and full recipe.

Chicken Ropa Vieja

This Cuban inspired dish is made with shredded chicken breast cooked in the crock pot, then sauteed with bell peppers, onions, cumin and lots of Latin flavor!

Cuban cuisine is a favorite of mine and Ropa Vieja, which translates as "old clothes" is a dish I love. It's traditionally made with shredded skirt steak, and served over white rice and fried plantains.

I created this lighter version a few years ago using lean chicken breast instead, sometimes I even use boneless skinless thighs or a combination of both. I like to serve it with baked tostones (plantain chips) and a salad. Leftovers make a delicious burrito bowl (I love Chipotle!) served over brown Cilantro lime rice, Southwestern black bean salad, lettuce and shredded cheese.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

This is my go-to turkey taco recipe. It's delicious and light – On nights I want to go low-carb, I forgo the taco shells and use lettuce wraps instead!

This is an oldie from the archives, but since I make this so often I thought I would update the photos just in time for taco Tuesday! It's naturally gluten-free, low-carb, and paleo & dairy-free without the cheese and sour cream. I find the outer leaves of Iceberg lettuce makes the best wraps, it's crisp and pliable and the leaves are large enough to make decent size wraps.

Add your favorite taco fixins such as shredded cheddar, light sour cream, chives, black olives, jalapeno, tomatoes or whatever you like on your tacos. The portions are generous, and if you're kids want shells, you can easily bake a few for them and use the same filling.

Making your own taco seasoning is a healthier alternative to buying packaged taco seasoning, and uses less sodium, no sugar, no preservatives and no msg. It also saves you money if you are on a budget. If you prefer to use the package seasoning, simply replace it with the spices listed here.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Picadillo Quesadillas

One word... YUM!

I make Crock Pot Picadillo all the time in my house (Madison's number one request), and because it makes so much I like to get creative with my leftovers. I came up with this for lunch one day and my husband said I should put it on the blog, so I thought with Cinco De Mayo coming, it would be fun to do some Cuban-Mexi fusion.

I made a really quick & easy Pico de Gallo to add along with the cheddar jack cheese, the results – delicious!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Cilantro and lime make this simple shrimp dish outstanding – and it takes just minutes to make! 

This is an oldie but goodie, a regular in my home. I was making it for dinner the other night and felt the need to re-shoot it. We serve it over rice or with a big avocado and lettuce salad. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Cheesy Zucchini Enchiladas

Cheesy meatless enchiladas filled with zucchini and cheese, topped with my homemade enchilada sauce –so delicious whether you are vegetarian or not.

While zucchini is still in season, I'm sharing this recipe from the archives. You all know how much I love enchiladas, well these zucchini enchiladas are huge and filling, and one of my favorite meals in the summer. Perfect topped with chopped cilantro, scallions or jalapeños.

For more enchiladas recipes try; chicken enchiladas, chicken and white bean enchiladas with salsa verde, and turkey and black bean enchiladas. This meatless recipe is also a favorite, and since it has no meat I can splurge a little more on the cheese –yum!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Skinny Chicken Fajitas

Lean strips of chicken breast, bell peppers and onions served sizzling hot with warm tortillas and shredded cheese. If this is your idea of delicious, you are not alone!

My husband Tommy is a creature of habit; anytime we go out for Mexican he always orders chicken fajitas. In fact when we went to Mexico a few years ago, he may have ordered them almost every night! I find that amusing because I get really bored of eating the same thing twice, and tend to always take a chance and try something completely new to me.

But chicken fajitas are a regular in my home, we make them at least once a month and the whole family enjoys them. My younger daughter Madison likes her bell peppers raw, so I chop some up and just set them aside for her and cut up the chicken. You can make the whole thing outside on the grill using a cast iron skillet to cook the peppers and onions as we usually do in the summer, or you can cook this indoors in a skillet. Enjoy!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Mexican "Unfried" Ice Cream

A skinnier fried ice cream with a sweet crunchy cinnamon topping. Oh-my-word, I can't tell you how good this is!

If you've ever had the Mexican fried ice cream at Chi Chi's, you'll understand this recipe. I always loved the concept of fried ice cream, as a kid I remember ordering it and always found it fascinating that the ice cream didn't melt.

This recipe is a much lighter, healthy version of the original fried version. This isn't fried at all, but it still has that same great taste with the crunchy cinnamon topping, and cold creamy vanilla ice cream (well, actually frozen yogurt) in the center.

This idea came from a fan. She actually made something like this for a party and layered everything in a square pan which is a great idea if you want to serve a crowd, but for portion control, I thought making them in individual servings was better.

To make it light, I bought my favorite fat free vanilla frozen yogurt: Gotta Have Vanilla from Stonyfield; that stuff is sooo good, I actually prefer it over their other brand Oikos. Then I perused the cereal aisle and decided on using crushed Special K as my crust mixed tossed with some cinnamon. If you are gluten free, I would use a gluten free cereal instead. Enjoy your weekend and have a happy Cinco De Mayo!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Salsa Verde Chicken Tostadas

Chicken tenders are slow cooked in the crock pot with salsa verde, then served on a crispy corn tostada and topped with melted cheese, jalapeño and a simple cabbage slaw made with red cabbage, lime juice, cilantro and salt. I could eat these everyday!!

Yesterday I posted the Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken recipe and promised to post the tostadas today. I made these for lunch and everyone in my home loved them (even my husband doesn't care for cabbage). The cabbage adds just the right amount of texture and freshness with a hint of acidity that just works, and he loved it! One was enough to fill me up for lunch, but if you want this for dinner, I would go with two.

The crock pot chicken actually makes enough for 9 tostadas, but I only made 6 tostadas for sake of calculating to keep it an even number. It's really not spicy at all, which is why I added jalapenos. If your family doesn't like spicy food, leave them out. If you don't have plans for Cinco De Mayo, I suggest you give these a try!! If you can't find tostada shells, you can follow the same recipe with corn taco shells instead.


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

Chicken tenders are simmered in salsa verde with cumin and spices for the easiest chicken ever!

Cinco De Mayo is right around the corner, which always gets me excited, I LOVE Mexican food! While I was shopping at Target the other day, I picked up a jar of Archer Farm's Roasted Salsa Verde with no real plans on what to do with it.

My slow cooker is always sitting on my counter staring at me, so I figured let's see what happens when you cook chicken with salsa verde.

Two hours later, what emerged was a delicious aroma and tender chicken. That night I made chicken tostadas for dinner, but I know this would be wonderful so many ways; over rice, in tacos, as a filling for enchiladas, whatever! Tomorrow I am posting my chicken verde tostada recipe, but for today I'm just posting the chicken so you can use it any way you wish.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

By the way, I have so many Mexican recipes, I created an entire Skinny Cinco De Mayo Pinterest Board with all the recipes to quickly browse if you are a visual person like me. Enjoy!!


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Southwestern Black Bean Salad

I love making this colorful, salad when the weather warms, it makes enough to feed a crowd and makes a great side dish or appetizer if served with chips. It's also great as a topping for taco salads or served with grilled meat and fresh tortillas.

And BONUS, this salad is low in saturated fat and loaded with antioxidants. A perfect summer side dish for grilled meat, fish or chicken. It's best when you use sweet fresh roasted corn, but if corn is not in season, frozen, thawed corn will work just fine in it's place.

 

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Huevos Rancheros

Golden egg yolks mingle with tomatoes, green chiles and cheese over a crispy corn tortilla for breakfast... what can be better! Low fat, naturally gluten-free and vegetarian (perfect for meatless mondays).

With Cinco de Mayo on the Horizon, I thought I would share this easy recipe, that I love to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

My friend Deysi taught me how to make this savory authentic Mexican recipe, and I'm glad she did because it was such a wonderful change from the usual egg dishes and it's really easy to make. You can also serve this with sliced avocados on the side. Buen Provecho!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Mexican Adobo Rubbed Grilled Pork Tenderloin

A lean pork tenderloin, rubbed with Mexican adobo and grilled or broiled to give you a great tasting, smoky, tender piece of meat.

Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork, in fact it's just as lean as a skinless chicken breast, and it doesn't take long to cook, which makes it perfect for busy weeknights. If you're tired of making the same 'ole thing for dinner, this is the answer (and bonus, it's totally man-friendly).

I was really in the mood for some Cilantro Lime Rice, and I thought it was the perfect compliment; I used some lime wedges to squeeze over the pork - delish! I was craving white rice, but I often use brown rice too as a whole grain option. For an even healthier side, last week's Fiesta Bean Salad would also be fabulous!

This recipe is from the cookbook Simple Food, Big Flavor, by Aarón Sánchez (you may know him as one of the judges on Chopped). Yesterday I made a batch of Aaron's Adobo with full intentions of making this pork dish. I still have a lot of adobo left, so I'm going to use the rest to grill some pork chops this weekend. It was pretty chilly yesterday, so rather than making this on my grill, I used my broiler instead.


Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Aaron's Mexican Dry Adobo Seasoning

A fusion of Mexican and American spices – a dry rub that combines the flavors of Mexico using dried pasilla and ancho chiles, with spices commonly used in dry rubs across the American South. Make a batch and it will keep for months if stores in an airtight container.

I don't watch much TV, but one show I am pretty addicted to is Chopped on the Food Network. I love seeing what mystery ingredients the contestants will get, and love seeing what the chefs come up with under pressure. But what really gets me watching is the judges, at times they can be a bit harsh, which makes me thankful I'm not on that show. If you watch Chopped, then you probably recognize Aaron Sanchez, chef from Centrico in NYC. This adobo recipe is from his new cookbook, Simple Food, Big Flavor. I actually quartered the recipe and it still made a lot, and used it to make a delicious pork tenderloin from his book (recipe coming next), but thought this should live on a page of it's own.

This can be used as a rub, for seasoning chili, stews, black bean soup and more.

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...

Crock Pot Picante Chicken and Black Bean Soup

If you love a slow cooker recipe that requires no pre-cooking, then you'll love this spicy black bean soup. Spicy black bean and chicken soup with tomatoes, chiles, peppers and spices is delicious served with cool avocado and a touch of sour cream. Top it with cilantro for freshness and your taste buds will want to do a mariachi dance.

This month I asked my facebook fans what kind of recipes they wanted to see more of in 2013 and Slow Cooker recipes topped the charts! Second place was main dish meals, so I've been keeping my slow cooker on my counter and have been keeping my promise!

I must confess, it's harder to develop recipes in the crock pot. First, I have to wait at least 4 hours to find out if it's even good and second, not everything works out as imagined. Take this recipe for example, first attempt went right in the trash. Not the first time I dumped a crock pot creation in the trash but one things for sure, they all had onions in the recipe.

I first made this with sauteed onions and there is no doubt in my mind it ruined the soup. Something about onions and crock pots just don't work together, and this is not the first time. Second attempt I did everything the same but replaced the onions with onion powder and it was perfect, delicious, even. Even better for all of you because there's no pre-cooking anything, so it's easy!

This makes a nice amount of soup, perfect for freezing and reheating for a second night, or for lunch on the go. I love this topped with avocado and sour cream to mellow the heat, but it would also be great with a little cheese on top why not!

It's mildly spicy, not over the top. If you want it milder you can leave the ancho chile powder out. I pureed one of the cans of beans to thicken the soup, and left the second can whole for texture. Next time I may even add some sweet corn! A filling, wholesome, high-fiber meal for only 300 calories, or Weight Watchers 6 points plus. Freezer friendly, and gluten-free.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

Click Here To See The Full Recipe...